The problem is that income is treated differently when it comes from regular employment vs. taking a loan against capital (Ellison) or inheritance (the Jobses). All persons with the same income ought to pay the same taxes.

If your company could hire someone else equally qualified, experienced and competent to do your work for £7k less, would they have any qualms firing you? What about £15k? Outsource it to India for 15% of the cost?

You are in a purely transactional relationship. You provide knowledge and hard work, and you get paid in money, prestige and satisfaction. That's it. It's your company, not your parent or sibling or friend or spouse - you 'owe' it no loyalty beyond that transactional relationship (and even personal relationships break down when they don't work out....). You wouldn't think twice about switching if someone opened up a new grocery store that was closer to your home and offered the same products for a lower price. Why is this different?

Do yourself a favour, mate. Go get the £7k + 7.5 hours of your life (almost a full work day on its own!) per week back. Good luck!

wutingsinreal writes: "A few days ago, I and several friends went to Xi'an. Where you can experience a different visual experience, it is Taiwan spectacular Terracotta Warriors, and I hope I can have a chance with friends around the world to go."Link to Original Source

coondoggie writes: "NASA has sent the very first spacecraft into an orbit around Mercury, the closest planet on our solar system to the Sun. Now that it is there, NASA's satellite MESSENGER (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging) will orbit Mercury about 730 times in the next 12 months, beaming back pictures and never-before-available pictures and data on the planet."Link to Original Source

An anonymous reader writes: Samsung has announced that the 13-inch version of its Series 9 laptop with Windows 7 Home Premium is now available in the US through Best Buy, Amazon, Tiger, as well as other select retailers and e-tailers. The Windows 7 Professional option as well as the 11-inch version with Windows 7 Home Premium will become available in mid-April. The MacBook Air just got some serious competition.Link to Original Source

I disagree.
Empathy and kindness can be programmed, and if sufficiently advanced, may be indistinguishable from human empathy or kindness. What makes my genetic programming or yours more legitimate than that of a future robot?
Then again, we may not even need to get there. Humans have a tremendous ability to empathise unilaterally. Spock and R. Daneel Olivaw are two of the most beloved characters in sci-fi. We emotionally connect to pet rocks and the abandoned lamp in the IKEA commercial; we feel for characters in novels and are moved by music. Why not a robot?

So I'd like to ask you to shut up and stop applying your situation to everybody else. Just because YOU can be happy and content with public transportation does not mean everybody else can.

I'd like to ask you to shut up and stop applying your situation to everybody else. Just because YOU can be happy and content with the concept of private transportation, with its concomitant waste and inefficiencies, does not mean everybody else can.